The rationality problem for finite subgroups of \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\) (Q1945880)

Let \(G\) be a finite subgroup of \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\). The group \(G\) induces an action on \(\mathbb Q(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4)\), the rational function field of four variables over \(\mathbb Q\). The main subject of this article is to answer whether or not the fixed subfield \(\mathbb Q(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4)^G\) is rational (i.e., purely transcendental) over \(\mathbb Q\). Since the rationality of \(\mathbb Q(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4)^G\) depends only on the conjugacy class of \(G\) within \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\), one must consider only the subgroups in \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\) up to conjugation. According to the book [\textit{H. Brown, R. Bülow, J. Neubüser, H. Wondratschek} and \textit{H. Zassenhaus}, Crystallographic groups of four-dimensional space. New York etc.: John Wiley \& Sons (1978; Zbl 0381.20002)] there are precisely 227 finite subgroups up to conjugation contained in \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\). The answers to the rationality problem for most of them were given by \textit{H. Kitayama} and \textit{A. Yamasaki} [J. Math. Kyoto Univ. 49, No. 2, 359--380 (2009; Zbl 1188.13004)] except for four cases. The article under review gives a positive answer to the rationality problem for these four cases. Thus the authors obtain their main result which states that the fixed subfield \(\mathbb Q(x_1,x_2,x_3,x_4)^G\) is rational over \(\mathbb Q\) for all subgroups \(G\) in \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\), except for two groups which are images of faithful representations of \(C_8\) and \(C_3\rtimes C_8\) into \(\mathrm{GL}_4(\mathbb Q)\).